Normally it is already a lot when Souf is active for three hours a day. “Now he’s actually been bouncing for two days. He thinks he should react to everything.” With the risk of overloading his body. “I love him too much to have him broken for a bit of media. Taking his phone was equally shocking, but necessary.”
The money for the DoesSouf fund, to help others, just keeps pouring in. The top 3 donations now include footballers Quincy Promes, Hakim Ziyech and Memphis Depay. “I didn’t know what I saw and still can’t believe it”, Souf responds when he wakes up. “I was shocked but I am grateful to everyone who watched, shared and donated.”
Deliver a smile
He hears that Steven Bergwijn has also transferred money. “These people … that an ordinary boy brought about this … I never dared to dream that.” Souf had expected to be able to collect around 30,000 euros. “The more money we have, the more people we can make happy. I want to put a smile on the faces of people who are chronically ill or unlucky in life.”
And the people from Breda can talk about that. Not only because he is terminally ill, but he lost all his father, sister and two uncles to SCA Type 2. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. “I am normally just like anyone else and try to enjoy life. That certainly works. My illness has actually become very normal for me.” The outlook is uncertain. “For one person it will take another 20 years, for another a little shorter. The doctors cannot say anything. I hope it will take a long time. I assume that.”
Airplane and Mecca
In 2019, the cashier and manager started a first campaign for research into the muscle disease. With this they raised around 30,000 euros for Radboud UMC. It also made Souf’s dream to jump out of a plane come true. And there were offers that made him dive, race and go to Mecca with his mother and brother.
Boersma is a kind of second father to Souf. And the love is mutual. “You only meet these kinds of people once in your life,” says the supermarket manager. “He is such an inspiration to me. He lets me and others put things into perspective, at a time when everyone is negative and is whining and whining.” Boersma herself lost a child years ago. “Then I thought, ‘That will never happen to me again.”
Rascal of 18
Sadly, however, the outlook does not seem good, says Boersma. Souf was diagnosed four years ago. “If I look at the decline in the past year and continue that trend, I would say he has two more years.” Boersma tries to relieve Souf’s mother, who dresses her son, for example, because he can’t do that anymore.
He still remembers how the employee, then a stock filler, told him he was ill. “An 18-year-old rascal who looks at you with Flipper-eyes and whose world is collapsing. He said ‘I better stop here, I’m going to get sick and then you will have no use for me’. But I said ‘you are not going to stop, time that you still have we will make it as fun as possible. Even if you lie in bed, you still come into the store.
NOS Stories made yesterday this video about him. The same day it was the most viewed post of the week.
–
